Horn problems

[MickyD]

The horn on my 31 Tudor has a mind of it's own. It works on and off when it wants too. . I took it off the car and cleaned it up. Oiled the pads and readjusted it for sound. The brushes look new. Hooked it up to my 6v charger and it worked great. Put it back in the car and it will not work every time I push the horn button. Now what.

 

[Bob C]

Possibly dirty contacts at the horn button.

 

[Marshall V. Daut]

Rotate the center push button 90 degrees and try again. Sometimes placing the horn button against a different part of the contacts beneath will establish a better electrical connection. The horn is not the problem from what you describe. You may need to disassemble the horn button to clean the contacts of oxidation that is interfering with making a solid, consistent electrical connection. But try rotating the horn button first. That may be all you need to do - for a while.
Marshall

 

[rotorwrench]

The grounding system previously mentioned can have problems if it's been around 90+ years. The light switch/horn control tube usually has a very thin copper bushing that fits in the steering shaft adjacent to the steering wheel nut. This can get funky and not allow good ground path flow at times. The tip of the rod down inside the light switch housing can also deteriorate and not make a good contact to the spring loaded terminal pin that fits through the insulated contact disk. The spade terminal on the lower end of that pin where the wire is connected can get loose. The OP has already checked the contact terminals at the horn. The power wire is shared with the headlight where it contacts the generator or alternator and it needs to be secure as well.

If the horn rod wire has broken or cracked inside the tube (makes contact but no longer solid), a kit can be purchased that has the pieces and the wire to affect a lasting repair if it has signs of being problematic. It may be a simple problem or it may be less so but none of this stuff lasts forever.

 

[nkaminar]

Before Model A's became restorable antiques and were just old cars, a door bell button in the dash could replace the defective horn button on the steering column. Of course now the simple dollar door bell button has been replace by a $550 device that records videos.